Forever
by Idris Amelia Song
Summary: River Song has been trapped in the Library computer for God knows how long, when someone unexpected shows up. Basically a drabble about what I wish would happen after 11 regenerates.


**Sorry I've been absent for so long! I had some major writer's block and everything I wrote just looked stupid. Weep. Anyway, here's something small I wrote while thinking about what I would do when 11 regenerates if I was in charge of the show. Which I'm not.**

**Disclaimer: Like I just said, I don't own Doctor Who.**

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River Song sat on a stone bench in the garden reading a book. The sky was a bright, gorgeous blue, the flowers displaying a rainbow spectrum of colors, birds singing sweetly in the trees, and the temperature pleasantly warm but not hot. In other words, everything was maddeningly perfect.

Never did the weather vary, never did the plants die, never did anyone age. Being stuck in a never-ending paradise made of pixels should have been a blessing, but it was a bit of a curse, too. It was preferable to being dead, she knew, but it was just a tad difficult to be grateful. Long done were the days of sneaking out of prison and gallivanting across time and space, or the days of giving an archeology lecture to a class of wide-eyed students, both dreading and enjoying the days when a certain man in a bow tie would pay a surprise visit to listen in (and argue about the facts). Now there was only peace and calm, which wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't alone.

Oh sure, there was Anita and Proper Dave and Other Dave and Miss Evangelista and Dr. Moon and young Charlotte, but she was still so alone. She had her friends, but not her love. Not the man for whom she had given everything and gotten more from in return.

Forever really was a very long time.

She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, unable to focus on her book any longer. It had been what- about a year since that fateful expedition? It was hard to tell, and who knew how long it had been out in the real world? A week, a month, a decade? More? Less? Being a woman who usually demanded answers, not having any way to find this one was infuriating.

River was roused from her distressing thoughts by the sound of a voice. At first she tried to ignore it, not really in the mood for chatting, but then she realized that it was a voice that did _not _belong in the computer.

"Weather's nice at least, don't you think?" She looked up in shock, taking in the sight of a tall, lanky man in a vest, bow tie, and overcoat standing a few meters away.

"Gets boring after a while," she answered, closing her book and standing up. _If this is a hallucination, it's a damn good one_, she thought.

"Yes, I can see how it would," the Doctor said, looking up at the cloudless sky and squinting critically. "Oh well. Can't have everything, eh?"

"How are you even here?" River asked in amazement, decided to believe for at least this one moment that he was real.

"Well, it's quite simple, really," he began, which she knew meant is was probably wasn't simple at all. "I died. No, I didn't die, I regenerated. But before that happened, I left instructions to Clara to upload me onto the Library computer so that when this body died, its echo would be saved with you forever. I owe you so much, River, it was the least I could do."

"But- That's not possible, how did you do it?" she demanded. Really, this man redefined 'impossible' every day.

"It involved lots of tinkering with the computers, modifying my screwdriver, and hoping Clara could get to the Library in time before the data ghost faded. I suppose she's still here, or there, I mean, looking at the computer we're in right now. Maybe I'm up there too... That's a bit weird, isn't it? Do you ever think about how weird this all is?" He looked up worriedly at the sky again, as if expecting to catch a glimpse of himself on it.

"All the time," River responded. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she took a few steps toward him. It was possible, he was here, she was daring to accept it.

"Honestly, I really didn't think it would work," the Doctor continued, rambling in the way River never would have thought she'd miss. "Had to try though, right? But, it looks like I'm here. You should really thank my sonic..." The Doctor trailed off as he reached for his coat pocket where his sonic screwdriver normally was and found nothing. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Okay. No sonic screwdriver." He patted a different pocket. "No psychic paper. And it looks like no TARDIS either. It's just me, Professor River Song." He held out his hands in an almost apologetic stance and began walking towards her. "I hope that's alright."

"That's not alright at all, I'll have you know," she said, quickening her steps, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Oh? It isn't?"

"No." She began running towards him, flying across the impossibly green lawn. He was ready, and when she crashed into him he spun her around in the air. She laughed with delight as he set her down. The touch of his clothes' worn fabric against her skin was the first thing that felt real to her in a long, long time.

"It's perfectly amazing, you idiot," she told him, her smile practically threatening to touch her ears. The Doctor also laughed and held her as close to him as possible, kissing the top of her head.

"Hi honey," he whispered. "I'm home. For good."

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**So, there ya go. Silly, I know, but I just have feels and I don't know how else to deal with them. I promise I'm working on longer, more substantial things now. Reviews are nice, and have a good day. Thanks for reading :)**


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